HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17879, 22 June 1926, Page 10

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

When chopping onions, first soak them in cold water for ten minutes. This is to save your tears. When the chopping is done, rub your hands with common salt, and all traces of the odour will vanish.

Making .Sauces. - When making sauces, remember that a sauce, if too thick, is easily made thinner, but it is more difficult to thicken it if too thin. When it is to coat something, it should be thick enough to cover the back of the spoon with which it is stirred. When it is to be poured round a dish, it should be thin enough to flow smoothly. If there is any lumpiness, strain the sauce before sending it to the table. The Uses of Vinegar.—Hot vinegar will remove paint from windows. Paint brushes that have become hard can be softened if immersed for some time in boiling vinegar. A little white vinegar will help to make a jelly set. Tough meat will become tender if soaked in vinegar before it is cooked. When boiling rice, a little vinegar in the water will keep the grains separate and keep them white. llot Stewed Fruit.—When pouring hot fruit into a glass dish, it is a good plan to place the dish on a wet doth. This prevents the glass from breaking. Corks.—-When a cork is too big for a bottle, it can often be made to fit by soaking it in boiling water for a few minutes: or a small, wedge-shaped piece may he cut out of one end of the cork. To prevent a cork slipping out when travelling, stick a strapping of adhesive paper over the top, or tie over it a piece of kid or oiled silk. To make a cork airtight and watertight, soak it in oil for a few minutes before using it. To Clean Bronze. ■— Bronze should never be washed unless absolutely necessary. If bronze ornaments are dusted and occasionally the surface is gently wiped with a cloth dipped in linseed oil and afterwards polished with a leather, they can be kept in good condition. To make a pound of butter go as far as two is an economy that unfortunately some of us need pr«ictise. Instead of scraping the butter on the bread, try increasing the quantity first. This is the method:—Place half a pound of butter and half a pint of fresh milk in a small household churn. Churn slowly, and in very- little time the result is a pound of butter of good flavour and texture.